Woman Accepts Village Idiot Award For Hair Blaze

A woman whose hair caught fire when her hairspray-coated follicles ignited as she lit a cigarette is now a southern Indiana town’s reigning “Village Idiot.”

Dani Hamm earned the honorary title this month by getting the most votes from regulars at the Story Inn, a restaurant and bar about 15 miles east of Bloomington where she’s a bartender.

The title awarded every April comes with a $100 bar tab at the rural inn.

Hamm was driving to work in February when she lit up a cigarette and then heard a “whoosh” as her hair ignited.

She wasn’t injured because she used her hands to douse her hair, which she had coated with a liberal layer of hairspray.

Naked Man Escapes Brothel Fire

Talk about hot sex! These weren’t flames of passion.  The Swiss daily Blick reported that a fire in an apartment used for transsexual prostitution forced a naked Swiss man onto a window ledge.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and put out the flames, but not before the man was photographed in all his glory against the modern building.

Worse, from the man’s point of view, Blick printed the photograph and quoted Markus Melzl from the Basel prosecutor’s office as saying the apartment was used for the sex business.

The 33-year-old man was hospitalized after the fire, according to the paper. It said he was released that evening with light burns.

Man Torches His Car Battling Frost

A 76-year-old German man trying to thaw out his car incinerated it instead when he decided to speed things up by putting a blow heater under the hood.

“He burned the vehicle out completely,” said a spokesman for police in the western city of Hildesheim. Police said the man left the heater on next to the frozen windshield washer tank and returned indoors. Shortly afterwards he heard two explosions and returned to find the car ablaze.

He alerted fire services, who arrived in time to prevent the flames from destroying his house. Including charring of the building, total damages were estimated at 40,000 euros ($56,240).

Estranged Boyfriend Firebombs Wrong House

An east Georgia man trying to get revenge on his estranged girlfriend by firebombing her home was being held without bond after he threw the device into the wrong house.

Authorities said a 25-year-old man was charged with arson, aggravated assault and possession of an explosive device — all felonies. The Augusta Chronicle reported he was being held in the McDuffie County jail.

Authorities said no one was injured Sunday night when the man allegedly tossed the Molotov cocktail through the front window of a Thomson home just before 9 p.m. Police arrested the man soon after the incident.

Authorities said the man has been arrested on a variety of charges in recent months, though no further details were given.

Naked Man Escapes Fire

A naked man who scrambled down a fire escape from a burning two-storey house in central Christchurch, New Zealand was one of five intoxicated people to escape the blaze.

Assistant area fire commander Greg Crawford said the occupants of the Hereford St house were in various states of intoxication, but all got out.

“St John is looking after some, some have disappeared,” Crawford said.

“They are in no state to look after themselves.”

Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire.

Smoke started billowing from the top floor of the house about 4pm.

Within minutes, flames and black smoke engulfed the top floor of the property and set a nearby tree alight.

As occupants were standing on the street yelling for others to get out, a naked man in his 50s came down a fire escape from a room that was billowing flames and smoke.

One occupant fainted as she was being assisted by St John Ambulance officers.

She abused a police officer who tried to help her.

Hero Dog Saves His Family From Fire

Prince George’s County, Maryland fire officials said a family’s barking dog alerted them to a fire and enabled them to escape without injury.

The fire was reported about 6 a.m. Tuesday in Beltsville. Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady said the dog, Monster, a Doberman, was outside the house when the fire broke out.

Brady said Monster barked and jumped repeatedly on a rear sliding door. The noise awakened the family, who then heard the smoke alarm and fled the two-story, single family home. There were three adults and five children in the home.

It took 30 firefighters 20 minutes to bring the blaze under control. One firefighter suffered a burn to his upper body and was treated and released at a local hospital.

Brady said the fire caused $250,000 in damage.

Man Sleeps Through Raging House Fire And Survives

A suburban Pittsburgh man slept soundly as his home caught on fire and partially collapsed.

It wasn’t until firefighters did a walk-through of the home more than two hours later that he woke up. Ross Township Fire Marshal John Reubi said he was “flabbergasted” that anyone survived the blaze. It broke out around 2:40 a.m. Sunday and was reported by a passer-by.

Firefighters were initially unable to search for victims because part of the roof collapsed. After controlling the fire, firefighters walked through and found the man in a bedroom. Reubi said it appeared the man had no idea what was going on.

Officials said the house had several additions, perhaps shielding the man’s room from flames. He was treated for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters Cause Blaze At Their Own Fire Station

Oahu firefighters have been issued a reminder to be sure to turn off cooking equipment when responding to emergencies.

The advice comes in the wake of a May 22 blaze at the Waipahu fire station that caused about $25,000 damage. Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig said food was inadvertently left cooking on a stove when the firefighters responded to an emergency call involving a traffic accident.

He said after finishing the call, the firefighters responded to a call at their own station house.

Seelig said like everyone else, firefighters need to be careful and attentive when cooking.

According to Seelig, the fire caused smoke and heat damage, primarily to kitchen areas that had been scheduled for renovation. He said the damage has been repaired.

Bride Rescues Family From Burning House

A Connecticut family was saved from a house fire by a newlywed who rushed inside through thick smoke while wearing her wedding gown.

Officials say Georgette Clemons had just left her wedding reception when she spotted smoke coming from a Bridgeport home.

Clemons got out of the car she was riding in and ran into the home. She says a woman was yelling about her animals and didn’t want to leave, so she had to pull her out.

As firefighters arrived and battled the blaze after members of the Eitelberg family were rescued, Clemons was nearby folding her blackened wedding dress.

Clemons says she messed up her shoes, but says that’s no big deal because everyone is safe.

Ouch! Teen Pleads Guilty To Burning Man’s Groin

A suburban Detroit 18-year-old pleaded guilty to lighting a man’s pants on fire and causing a third-degree burn to his groin.

Tyler Quick pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder. Oakland County Circuit Judge Rae Lee Chabot will sentence Quick on June 2.

Police said Quick attended a party at home of a 51-year-old man, who passed out during the revelry.

Investigators told The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak that Quick painted the unconscious man’s face with makeup before placing a burning candle on his pants, igniting them.

Defense attorney Pamela Johnson said the judge agreed to dismiss the charge if Quick successfully completes probation.